The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-01-20

THE EXECUTION.
When DR.. Hatcher had gone, Depu-
ty Sergeant Allen tied the prisoners
knees tightly together, put the rope
around his neck and adjusted the
black cap and hood. Everything be-
ing ready, Sergeant Smith gave the
signal and at l :08 o'clock the trap
was sprung. A sudden swish, clang
of the falling trap-door, and the next
instant the body Of Cluverius was at
the end of the rope, over ten feet be-
low where he had been standing.
The rope which was made of parti-
colored silk, stretched over foot and
the toes of the hanged man nearly
touched the brick pavement beneath.
A minute of quiet and then there was
considerable struggling, lasting sever.
al minutes together with heavy ster-
torious breathing indicating that
death was being produced by strangu-
lation. After sixteen minutes the
physicians pronounced the body dead,
and twenty minutes after the trap was
sprung the body was taken down and
placed in plain wooden coffin and
turned over to the undertaken to be
prepared for burial at his former home
in King and Queen county.
THE STORY OF THE MURDER, IT'S DIS
CovERY AND PUNISHMENT.
RI HMoND, Jan. 14.-The crime for
which Thomas j. Cluverius paid the
penalty to-day was the murder of his
cousin, Fannie Lillian Madison.
On the morning of March II, 1885,
the body of this young woman was
found in the Marshall reservoir, in the
western part Of the city After some
little delay it was identified. The
girl was the daughter of Charles j.
Madison, worthy, but poor farmer OF
King William county, in this State.
An examination revealed the fact that
in about two months she would have
become mother.
1t was soon brought out that Miss
Madison had left home the previous
summer for Bath county, where she
had been engaged as teacher in the
family of Mrs. Dickerson AS it was
shown by the testimony the girl reg,
lstered at the American Hotel under
the assumed name of "F. L. Merton. .
On March IS, at 2 A. NJ, Cluverius ar
rived in the city, on the nighSthat his
victim would have done so but for a
delay to the train on the Chesapeake
and Ohio Road. 1t was proven that
while Miss Madison was breakfasting
at the American on the morning oil
her arrival note was handed her by
a servant, addressed to Miss Merton
She read it and sent reply by the
same messenger. Her answer was:
Il will be there as soon as possible,
so do wait for me-"
There was no address and no sigma
ture upon the scrap of paper on whicI
this was written, but it was incIoseC
in an envelope addressed to 1T. J
Cluverius." The bearer of the not,
to which this was an answer coulc
not find the man who had entrusted
him with the note to Miss Merton, 81
it was returned to the hotel clerk.
THE TELL-TALE LETTER.
1t was this letter, which could scarce
ly be deciphered, which first brough
the name of the young man who SUI
iered such an ignominious death to
day in connection with Fannie Madi
sons death.
An investigation proved that Clu
verius was here at that time and tAa
he had visited Miss Madison in tn
parlor of the hotel in which she wa
stopping. On the 18th OF March Mis-
Madison went out OF the hotel sewers
times the first time about ten o'cloc
IN the morning, again after Dime
and the last time-and which Was th
last time she was seen by the servant
or Others at the hotol-was about min
O'Clock that night. At about tht
, hour man, afterwards identified {
, Cluverius, got in street car near til
American Hotel and rode to the av,
, nue. leading to the reservoir. TT
hour was one at which few person
!. we're travelling on that branch OF II
street ear line and the driver of IL
car felt quite sure that he identift
: the prisoner as his companion on tn
g lonely ride. He was conscientiou
man, however, and would not swear
h the identity OF his passenger absolut
+ ly.
d GOING TO THE FATAL SPOT.
e DR.. Stratton, who is now the pre-,
dent Of the Board OF Health Of tn
d city was stopped that night by m,
d and woman on Reservoir street. T.
l. man inquired ii the street they we
, traversing was not Reservoir.
,vos o,,eworo,1 IN flo n oA1r,,o ts..a -